Vivian's P. O. V:
Iroh shoots lava right at me. My friends call my name worriedly but I manage to dive to the side with my enhanced speed and dodge the attack. The tip of my sword glows pink.
"Parallel Sting!" I thrust my sword at Iroh as he swings his hand towards me. The tip grazes Iroh's hand and he grunts at the pain. I dance away just before he could melt me with lava. "Crescent Slash!" I slash my sword at Iroh's left shoulder in a crescent form, and he groans at the pain. "Linear!" I zoom past Iroh as I slash my sword through the top of his shoulder, causing him to cry out again.
Iroh shoots a stream of lava for me right as I land. I exclaim in pain when a glob of lava hits the back of my right shin, burning it.
"Oh, no, Viv!" Erza gasps. She runs towards Iroh as I stagger and leaps up while swinging her massive mace. Erza is punched out of the air by Iroh but she manages to backflip and land on the ground near me, bracing the tip of the sword in the earth.
I say as I lean on my rapier and turn to the scarlet haired maiden, "Erza." She glances to me. "I think I have a spell that stop Ragnarok. But I need to be able to get close to him."
"I'll cut you an opening, Viv," She says before requipping into her Lightning Empress Armor. She leaps up into the air and spins the spear around before thrust out it at Iroh. A beam of lightning shoots out. Iroh dodges it.
I was already charging at him as Natsu fires flames from his mouth. Iroh evades that attack too.
"Streak!" I slash my sword in an upward diagonal as pink light flares. It grazes Iroh's stomach and he grunts, but then Erza was hitting him in the back with another lightning bolt.
Gray fires his Gungir spell but Iroh shatters it and whirls towards him. Natsu summons his Brilliant Flame spell to throw at the Takeover mage. Iroh bats it aside like a frog and it hits a building, burning it.
Iroh swings his leg towards Natsu, Gray and Erza. They dive out of the way.
"Sky Dragon Slayer Secret Art," Wendy calls as wind swirls around both her and Iroh, and he slowly turns to her, "Shattering Light Sky Drill!" With a thrust of her hands, Wendy slams the wind into Iroh. He staggers back and tumbles into a building, crushing it under his weight.
"Nice one, Wendy!" Natsu cheers, winking at her.
"Don't relax just yet!" I call. At the same time, Iroh pick himself back up and aims his hand at the blue haired girl. Lava is shot at her. She squeaks but is snatched up by a frantic Charlele. But then the lava heads for Rogue.
"Oh, no! Rogue!" I sheathe my rapier and use my full speed to get to my mate, while ignoring the burning pain in my leg. "I'm not gonna make it!"
Squeezing my eyes shut right briefly, I dive forwards and latch my arms around Rogue.
I barely manage to haul him out of the way in time and the lava hits my shoulder and my left cheek instead, making me cry out.
"Viv!" Natsu exclaims worriedly. I drop to my knees a safe distance away and cradle Rogue in my arms, breathing heavily against the pain in my leg and shoulder. Damn, this lava burns if it doesn't melt you right away! I'd almost forgotten how much it burns.
"Viv?" I look down to see Rofue has at last opened his eyes, just as Frosch rushes over. Rogue's eyes jerk wide at the sight of my wounds. He lifts his hand up to gently cup my cheek over my burn.
"D-Don't worry a-about m-me," I stutter while squinting my left eye closed against the pain. "I-I'll be okay."
"You're hurt though," Rogue says in concern. Anger flashes in his crimson orbs.
I gently brush his dark hair as I tell him, "L-Like I said: I-I'll be f-fine. B-Besides, I know h-how to defeat him.
Rogue states at me with wide, surprised eyes as he asks, "You do?"
I nod my head and help Rogue to sit up. I tell him, "Yes. So I'll defeat him and protect you. Just wait here. You're still injured."
"Viv, look out!" Erza warns. I whip my head around just in time to see lava being shot at us. Uncaring about himself, Rogue grabs me and presses me tightly against his chest, putting his back to the incoming lava.
Frosch also ducks against Rogue's stomach as we brace ourselves for the attack.
I hear the sound of the lava making contact with something hard. A couple of heartbeats pass and Rogue finally lets me lean back to see what or who saved us.
He also turns and I gasp to find Erza in Tony of us with her Adamantine shield blocking the attack.
"Erza, you... you saved us," Rogue says in surprise and gratitude.
"Viv, you need to be quick with putting that plan of yours into action," Erza says to me while looking at me over her shoulder. She clenches her jaw at the sight of my wounds. "If this keeps up, then Iroh really will destroy the whole town, and melt everyone in it with his lava."
"I know," I reply quietly, gazing back towards Iroh. He just stares back at me with an unreadable expression.
Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Stong and Lucy continue to relentlessly attack the lava monster. Iroh hits Lucy's right leg with lava and some of it gets on Sting's right cheek, burning them.
Rogue's P. O. V:
I turn my head when Vivian starts to get to her feet, trembling against the pain. She grits her teeth while straightening and goes to take a step forwards.
But the burn in her leg was too much and causes the brown haired girl to stagger, falling forwards. With my eyes widening in concern, I latch my hands around her upper arms, preventing Vivian from hitting the ground.
"Th-Thanks, Roguey," She says, glancing back at me.
I help the Requip Magic user to straighten as I suggest, "Are you going to be okay? Maybe you should let me handle this." I was angry—no, furious—that her own childhood friend would even consider hurting Vivian like this.
"No, I'm fine. I can keep fighting," The Knight insists. My dark brows furrow in disbelief as I hear our comrades still fighting, Erza remaining with us in case Iroh attacks us again.
"You can barely stand!" I try to tell her as Vivian faces me fully. "If anything were to you when you go out there, I'd never forgive myself. You can't hide the fact that you're in pain from me, Viv-chan." I lightly trace the shadow dragon mate mark on the left side of her neck.
"I know. And you're right," She agrees. "But I need to do this. I need to face my past and stop Iroh. Because I'm the only one who can." I blink my eyes as the Knight leans towards me and kisses my left cheek. Vivian pulls back with a reassuring smile on her face. "I'll be back. I promise." She pulls away before I could stop her and crouches in front of my Exceed partner. "Take care of Rogue for me, will you, Frosch?"
He nods as he says, "Fro will! But be careful, Viv-chan."
Smiling reassuringly at him, the brown haired, hazel eyed beauty promises while stroking his head, "Of course I will be. Always."
Vivian straightens, and, sparing me a last comforting smile that makes my heart go crazy, Vivian unsheathes her pink dish hilted rapier and lumps towards her childhood friend, ignoring the pain in her leg.
I turn to watch as Sting calls, "White Dragon Roar!" A white laser is shot at Iroh and hits his side, causing him to stagger.
Sting dodges a blast of lava as Natsu swings his fire engulfed fist for Iroh's head. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
The fist of flames knocks against Iroh's head and rocks it sideways. Iroh wrenches it around to the pinkette and punches Natsu and Happy out of the sky.
"Ice Make: Ice Impact!" Gray his the side of his fist against his palm and an intricate hammer with a pointy tip is about to hit Iroh from above. Iroh simply melts it with his lava. "Ice Make: Geyser!" Ice spikes shoot up underneath Iroh but he melts them.
"Sand Buster!" Scorpio calls while firing sand for Iroh. It hits Iroh and makes him stagger as Taurus swings his giant axe, slashing it through Iroh's leg.
Iroh swings his fist towards the celestial spirit, but green silver energy in the form of lightning crackles from around Vivian's rapier.
"Starburst!" She thrusts her sword at Iroh and it slices through his arm, causing him to yank it back. Vivian dashes away from a punch. "Streak!" She slashes her rapier for the Takeover mage and it grazes his stomach. Iroh growls angrily. He brings his fist down towards Vivian but she was able to leap out of the way.
I was in awe while watching her fight. As Vivian uses Diagonal Sting and Seven Deadly Sins, before dancing lightly away from a kick, then firing her Oblique spell and launching herself into the air to release her signature Shooting Star spell, green energy bursting out of her sword, I can't help but think she's like a shooting star herself, flying gracefully through the sky as she repels darkness.
As long as Vivian is with me, I know I'll never succumb to my shadow.
Vivian lands and bends backwards to avoid a shot of lava, her expression unwavering.
She then crouches on one knee as she faces her childhood friend once more. Vivian's rapier starts to glow pink with her Linear spell.
Vivian jolts upwards and dodges attacks of lava from the Takeover mage before launching herself towards Iroh with a war cry. With several thrusts of her rapier in quick succession, Vivian slices through Iroh's right shoulder and lands with her knees bent behind him.
Vivian dashes around Iroh and uses Oblique once more on him, before skidding to a stop, her back to me.
I stare at the brown haired girl in silent awe as her long, light chestnut brown hair sways from the movement.
Iroh whirls around with astonishing speed to shoot lava at Vivian. She was faster and launches herself at him once more while thrusting her dish hilted rapier forwards to unleash bursts of green light.
"Shooting Star!"